For the first time in one thousand years, the European principality of Andorra will have an official Rabbi. Rabbi Yekutiel Kalmenson and his family have arrived in the Catholic country to lead the 250-member Jewish community.
"There is no crime or antisemitism here," says Shimon Bar Sheshet, a local resident since 1979. "You can walk in the streets at midnight or two a.m. without a worry."
He says that Andorra has been a safe haven for many Jews who fled North Africa after the Six-Day War.
Until now, the Jewish community of Andorra has suffered strict religious limitations and only in 1998 was allowed to establish an official Jewish cultural center, after years of praying in private homes.
Rabbi Kalmenson plans to reach out to all Jews in the country, including new immigrants who have not yet settled in their community.
"We needed someone to teach Torah to the children and adults," says Bar Sheshet, who has served as an unofficial rabbi for the traditional Moroccan community.